San Diego County to Receive Storm Aid

San Diego is one of four Southern California counties that have been declared a federal disaster area so that local governments can receive assistance in repairing public property damaged in the fierce storm last month.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers the federal disaster relief program, said that the counties of San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, along with the City of Ventura, will receive grants to cover up to 75% of the cost of cleaning up and rebuilding municipal property damaged by the winds in mid-January.

The offer for assistance, however, was not extended to private individuals. State and local officials said Friday they were surprised and disappointed by that decision, since they requested help for people who suffered an estimated $68 million in losses in the turbulent weather.

Surprised by Decision

Tom Mullins, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services, said the state had expected a more favorable decision. But he added that his office will consider applying for funds on behalf of people who feel that they might qualify for low-interest loans. Such loans are provided by the Small Business Administration and the Farmers Home Administration.

“We have not received the federal government’s reasons for turning down the request for private loans,” Mullins said. “But we will explore ways to qualify for those programs.”

FEMA is expected to set up disaster application centers in the affected areas to help individual residents and businesses apply for any possible assistance.

Willard Lewis, a spokesman for the county Office of Disaster Preparedness, said that FEMA has not yet announced when the centers will open in San Diego.

“If the funds are not available, we will do all we can to make them available,” said Amy Piskura, a spokeswoman for Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.), who announced the decision.

Roy Gorup, a spokesman for FEMA, said problems caused by the storm were not severe enough to warrant private assistance, even though Gov. George Deukmejian requested loans for individuals when he declared several counties disaster areas.

Eligibility Criteria

“We have different types of eligibility criteria,” Gorup said. “And we didn’t think it was beyond the local agencies’ capabilities to handle the (problems) faced by individuals.”

Governments hoping to qualify for the funds must prove that “it is beyond their capability to cope with the situation at hand,” said Gorup.

Officials have not determined how much aid is needed by governments, which will only be able to apply for loans to cover structural damages.

In Redondo Beach, the area hardest hit by the Jan. 17 storm, officials said they were pleased to learn that the city will receive federal assistance for the damage sustained there, but were disappointed that people from the private sector will not be included.

“At least we got something, and you know the old cliche: ‘Half a loaf is better than none,’ ” said City Councilwoman Kay Horrell, who estimated that the city government suffered about $3 million worth of damage in the storm. “But we would rather have had the whole loaf.”

The January storm ravaged the coastline from Santa Barbara south to the Mexican city of Ensenada.

Wind-driven, 25-foot waves tore away part of the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach and caused major structural damage to other businesses.

In Malibu, residents were evacuated from two apartment houses and several homes were damaged. A 250-foot section of the Huntington Beach Pier collapsed into the surf, and tents belonging to homeless people in Venice Beach were blown away.

Times staff writer Karen Roebuck contributed to this story.